The adverse effects of high plasma cholesterol have been extensively studied and a correlation has been described between plasma cholesterol and heart disease.
Numerous compositions have been proposed for controlling the amount of cholesterol present in the blood stream. Disclosed, for example, is use of certain nonfat esters as a fat substitute to control the intake of fat and the amount of lipids in the bloodstream (U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,419); administration of a special class of polysaccharides consisting of at least two glucopyronosic units, each linked to the other by a 1-3-glycosidic linkage (U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,226); oral administration of certain naturally occurring mucilaginous substances which exert a hypocholesteremic adjuvant action (U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,114); oral administration of non-toxic glycocholic acid-binding polymeric amines for binding bile acids in the gut (U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,020); oral administration of heat-modified guar gum (U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,927); incorporation of certain polysaccharide substances in food products (U.S. Pat. No. 3,511,910); oral administration of ether-type anion exchangers prepared from hydroxyl-containing polysaccharides and cross-linked polysaccharides containing amino, morpholino and guanidino basic functioning groups (U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,872); administration of a defined diet composition incorporating certain carbohydrates (U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,554); oral administration of diethylaminoethyl dextran (U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,057); oral administration of water-soluble konjac mannan (U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,945); oral administration of sucrose-containing sweeteners to which maltitol and/or lactitol is added (U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,976); use of liquid polyol fatty acid polyesters in combination with anti-anal leakage agents (U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,195); oral administration of Levorin (U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,659); and oral administration of oat or barley gum (U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,124).